Construction to begin on Peach Avenue bridge

South Iowa Response Group (SIRG), a combined Hazmat agreement of Regions 15 and 17, has purchased one used truck for $74,000. The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors authorized at its weekly meeting Monday, Sept. 16, a $3,000 payment required from each participating county be sent to the Ottumwa Fire Department, as fire chief Tony Miller is overseeing the financials for the SIRG purchase.

Cindy Atwood, on behalf of Sieda at 201 S. 23rd St., Fairfield, filed request for property tax abatement on property purchased to relocate the community action group. The board approved the abatement. Abatement requests must be applied for annually.

County Engineer Scott Cline advised the board the construction work will begin on Sept. 19 on the Peach Avenue bridge. There is no designated detour. It is estimated the finished bridge will be completed by Jan. 15, 2020. Cline received notice from the National Association of County Engineers of the official repeal by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the 2015 clean water rule, or Waters of the United States (WOTUS) as it is called.

Cline advised the Iowa Department of Transportation is negotiating with the Federal Highway Administration for an efficiently working 28E Agreement when counties collaborate on bundled projects. The Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP) grant funding is used for highway bridge replacement or rehabilitation projects on public roads that leverage the efficiencies associated with 'bundling” at least two highway bridge projects into a single contract. It allows the opportunity to address projects with similar needs using strategies in a cost-effective manner.

Supervisor Daryn Hamilton reported SEMCO Landfill, Richland, is expanding the entrance parking area. Hamilton and Dave Taft spoke with architect Mike Noland of Iowa City regarding the tuck pointing to be done on the courthouse. Noland will assist Hamilton and Taft to define the specifications of products and work details needing to be done so that when bid-letting the contractors will be better informed of what the project will entail.

Supervisor Dee Sandquist reported the regional mental health board SEIL discussed the new changes as children's mental health is being added into the services. Specifically, the state board means the children's system state board; and the governing board means the representing supervisors from each county board having voting membership and the additional nonvoting members as defined in Iowa Code.